Cadence 2020 Sustainability Report by Cadence

2020 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS, INC.

CONTENTS Letter from Our CEO........................................................ 3 About Cadence................................................................. 4 About the Report.............................................................. 5 Summary of 2020 Activities.......................................... 6 Highlights from 2020...................................................... 7 COVID-19 Response and Actions ................................. 10 Workforce: Shaping the Future of Technology.................................................................... 16 Innovation.......................................................................... 28 Environmental Sustainability ....................................... 32 Governance........................................................................ 38 Privacy and Security: Managing Risks of Secure Data.................................... 42 Supply Chain...................................................................... 44 Community Outreach...................................................... 48 Awards and Recognition................................................. 52 GRI Index............................................................................. 56

Letter from Our CEO Our top priority during 2020 was the health and wellbeing of our employees. Their resilience enabled us to continue to grow our business, delight customers, deliver superior financial results and advance our sustainability efforts, benefiting our customers, investors, and communities. As a global community, we are grappling with the worst health crisis in our lifetimes and significant societal issues which have shown that we as a human race are inextricably connected, through our shared vulnerability and the strength of collective action. Our 2020 Sustainability Report highlights the progress we made in our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts. This report shows the work that we are doing in six key areas that materially impact our business—innovation, workforce development, data privacy and security, environmental sustainability, governance, and supply chain management—and reflects feedback we received from our key stakeholders over the past year and oversight by our Board of Directors through its Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. At Cadence, we provide the technologies our customers need to design and optimize innovative and differentiated electronic products that conserve energy and power. In 2020, we continued this world-wide focus by enhancing our technology portfolio and increasing power-aware benefits in our comprehensive solutions. In 2020, we continued our strong progress in tracking and reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy use. We are committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2025 over a 2019 baseline. We extended our rigorous governance standards across our value chain with our inaugural Supplier Code of Conduct. In addition, we developed a supplier questionnaire to better understand our upstream environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities, including a focus on diversity in our supply chain, which was distributed to all new suppliers in 2020. At Cadence, diversity and inclusion are key tenets of our One Cadence–One Team culture. This underpins our belief that a diverse, highly supported and engaged workforce is critical to the foundation of our business success. We understand the importance of uplifting and empowering one another and recognize the valuable contribution our diverse workforce brings to our business. I’m proud to share in this report several initiatives at Cadence that support diversity and inclusion, such as recruiting, training, career advancement support, and pay equity. Finally, I would like to thank our customers, partners, and our hardworking employees for all that they do. Their health and safety, and that of our broader community, will continue to be of paramount importance to us at Cadence.

Sincerely,

Lip-Bu Tan Chief Executive Officer 3

ABOUT CADENCE

Year Founded

Revenue

1988

$2.68B FY 2020

(%15 increase compared to 2019)

Employees

Offices

Countries

~8,800 full time

Headquarters: San Jose, California

Employees located in 23 Countries

(8% increase compared to 2019)

Stock Exchange / Trading Symbol Nasdaq Global Select Market CDNS

Customers Electronic systems and semiconductor companies located worldwide

Transforming the Way People Design Next-Generation Systems Cadence is the only company that provides the expertise and tools, IP, and hardware required for the entire electronics design chain, from chip design to chip packaging to boards and to systems. We are a global leader in computational software and enable electronic systems and semiconductor companies to create innovative products that transform the way people live, work, and play. Our products are used in extraordinary electronic products from chips to boards to systems for the most dynamic market applications, including consumer, hyperscale computing, 5G communications, automotive, mobile, aerospace, industrial, healthcare, and other market segments. Our Cadence® Intelligent System Design™ strategy guides everything we do, from our product lineup to the expertise and services we offer our customers and the partnerships we develop with other industry leaders. It allows us to deliver software, hardware and IP that turn design concepts into reality. We believe that giving our customers a systems-level perspective throughout the design cycle pays off in faster and better design, shorter verification cycles, software that works with the hardware, and new product leadership.

ABOUT THE REPORT The purpose of this report is to share with our stakeholders the progress we made in our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts in 2020. The content of this report is informed by feedback from our key stakeholders: employees, investors, customers, and industry partners and associations. During 2020, we built on stakeholder engagement and materiality review processes that were initiated in 2019. Our senior group director of Corporate Social Responsibility chairs a cross-functional team consisting of internal leaders in Human Resources, Facilities, Finance, Procurement, Marketing, and Legal. Each of these leaders raise ESG priorities for implementation and reporting based on stakeholder feedback. This feedback informs our sustainability and reporting strategy. To validate our priorities, we conduct gap analysis referencing Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Global Reporting Index (GRI) standards, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Climate, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), and Nasdaq questionnaires. Further, we conducted a benchmark analysis of industry peers. This report has been prepared in accordance with the principles and disclosures of the GRI Standards: Core option and encompasses activity for all Cadence entities included in our consolidated financial statements. The activity and metrics disclosed are for the 2020 calendar year unless the fiscal year is specifically identified. The Environmental Sustainability section includes metrics for the 2019 calendar year. To provide feedback or obtain additional information about this report and Cadence’s corporate social responsibility program, please contact csr-esg@cadence.com.

SUMMARY OF 2020 ACTIVITIES

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2020

23 Best Workplace Recognitions

Investor's Business Daily Top 50 ESG Companies

Best Workplace for LGBTQ Equality

Across 14 countries, including FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For

Ranked #3 in the software category and #7 overall on Investor’s Business Daily list of the Top 50 ESG Companies

Named one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation

COVID-19 Response

Pay Equity

Diversity and Inclusion

Recognized as one of People’s Companies That Care for our support of employees and the community during the pandemic

Achieved global salary pay parity based on gender and U.S. salary pay parity based on race and ethnicity in July 2019 and maintained this again in September 2020

Launched inclusion groups for U.S. Black, Latinx, Veteran, LGBTQ+, and Women employees and allies, and introduced new scholarships for Black and Latinx students in technology

Emissions Reduction Target Set a greenhouse gas reduction target of a 15% decrease for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2025 over a 2019 baseline

Progress on Our 2020 Environmental, Social, and Governance Strategies Innovation: Our Intelligent System Design

Workforce: Our High-Performance Culture

strategy guides everything we do, influencing our product and service offerings, as well as partnerships with other industry leaders. Our products and services enable our customers to design innovative and differentiated products. We believe that giving our customers a systemslevel perspective throughout the design cycle provides faster and better design, shorter verification cycles, seamless integration of software and hardware, and new product leadership. We promote innovation at every level within Cadence.

outlines the values and behaviors that will enable our employees to succeed at Cadence. We embed these values and behaviors throughout our business and use them to drive our business objectives. These values also influence our practices for hiring, goal setting, development, promotion, and recognition. The Great Place to Work Institute recognizes Cadence as an exceptional employer in many regions around the world. Our diverse team of passionate, dedicated, and talented employees go above and beyond for our customers, our communities, and each other.

We focused on the following in 2020: We continued our focus on innovation by enabling customers and academia, through our Intelligent System Design strategy, to advance the design of complex electronic chips, boards, and systems. Our underlying computational software expertise and broad portfolio allows design teams to develop products of the future that are smarter, smaller form factors, and much more power efficient—advancing sustainability in end product systems.

We focused on the following in 2020: We implemented a number of critical measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to promote the safety, health, and well-being of our employees, customers, and extended communities. We expanded our efforts to build a more diverse and inclusive team through recruitment, career support, and communitybuilding for underrepresented groups. For the second year in a row, Cadence achieved global salary pay parity based on gender and U.S. salary pay parity based on race and ethnicity.

Environmental Sustainability:

Governance: Cadence benchmarks corporate

We regularly evaluate new ways to lessen the environmental impact of our facilities and business operations. Cadence monitors its performance on energy, water, waste, and emissions to conserve resources and reduce costs. Our culture of giving back inspires employees to plan environmental initiatives that improve the sustainability of communities where we operate.

governance practices of its S&P 500 peers and makes amendments to its practices to reflect their best practices. The Board, through its Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, regularly reviews our corporate social responsibility program. In our annual engagement with stockholders in 2020, we discussed our environmental, social, and governance efforts in addition to our Board’s composition and diversity of background.

We focused on the following in 2020: We set a greenhouse gas reduction target of 15% for Scope 1 and 2 emissions over our 2019 baseline. This target is informed by the Science Based Target Initiative and based on the 2˚C Scenario.

We focused on the following in 2020: We reported to our Board of Directors on our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts and initiatives. We added three new directors to our Board, broadening our Board diversity in both gender and ethnicity. Also, in 2020, our Board committed to including a breakout of its gender and ethnicity in this report and our proxy statement.

Data Privacy and Security:

Supply Chain: Cadence is committed to doing

Cadence implements data privacy and security policies and procedures to protect our customers, partners, and employees. Our Information Security team works to identify and prevent risks to the protected data we collect. Our Chief Information Security Officer administers our data privacy and security program, with oversight from our Board’s Audit Committee.

business honestly and ethically everywhere we operate. We expect our suppliers to conduct themselves with the same high standards as our own employees. To ensure our relationships with our suppliers meet and support these expectations, we joined the Responsible Business Alliance as an Affiliate Member in 2018.

We focused on the following in 2020: With a vast majority of employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, we focused on providing secure remote access with endpoint security controls and infrastructure resiliency. We also enhanced our security incident response procedures to address risks specific to remote working conditions.

We focused on the following in 2020: We extended our rigorous governance standards across our value chain with our inaugural Supplier Code of Conduct. In addition, we developed a supplier questionnaire to better understand our upstream environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities, including a focus on diversity in our supply chain, which was distributed to all new suppliers in 2020.

COVID-19 RESPONSE AND ACTIONS

Cadence has a people-first philosophy that shapes our company culture and drives how we run our business. When faced with the challenging, unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted rapidly to promote the safety, health, and well-being of our employees, customers, partners and communities. Understanding the risks, and our role in curbing the spread in our communities, we transitioned the vast majority of our employees to remote work for the better part of 2020. In some locations, like Santa Clara County, California, we asked employees to work from home, and canceled travel and event attendance prior to local government mandates.

Governance Providing regular updates on the pandemic has been critical to ensure our employees’ safety and well-being. Early in the year, the CEO tasked a team of executives to dedicate a substantial portion of their time on our COVID-19 response. This leadership team formed a cross-functional employee taskforce to work alongside our executives to manage the company’s approach to the fast-evolving pandemic. The taskforce provided infrastructure, communication, and training to our managers and employees around the globe. Specifically, the taskforce provided routine information sessions, company-wide and business specific all hands meetings on the state of the business, and guidance on staying safe and working effectively from home. Additionally, the taskforce provided resources to help employees create productive remote working conditions.

We also developed a dedicated COVID-19 internal communication hub to keep employees, especially managers of international teams, updated on the pandemic at each of our sites across 23 countries. The hub includes video messages from executives, business updates, wellness newsletters, and health and safety education. The hub also connects employees to resources and programs at their site to promote health, wellness, and human connection while working from home.

Enabling Leadership Effectiveness Our leaders and frontline managers play an important role in managing their teams through crisis. The pandemic and resulting remote working conditions presented unique challenges that required our managers to take different approaches to community, connection, and leadership. Our executive team consistently stressed the importance of flexibility. We created manager training and toolkits specific to remote leadership during crisis that provide best practices on a variety of topics, including communication methods and responding to difficult questions. We encouraged managers to check in frequently with their teams to identify needs and find solutions such as adjusting workloads or accommodating employees’ personal circumstances.

Health and Wellness

Office Safety

To promote health and well-being during this time, we provided employees with additional time off to focus on themselves and their families. Because of the pandemic’s impact to school schedules, travel, and work, many employees were not able to take traditional opportunities to take muchneeded personal time off. We believe time away from work is key to our employees’ health and wellness and enables them to recharge and continue to perform at a high level.

We are taking a careful and measured approach to returning to the office. This involves a comprehensive phased return process that evaluates multiple factors, such as level of virus spread in the community, local government regulations, benchmarking of leading companies, and employee readiness to return. Reopening plans will incorporate safety and distancing measures, including group rotation and schedule flexibility, as well as documented acknowledgment of safety protocols. Our global Return to Office Playbook outlines workplace safety strategies, as well as the measures we’re using to prepare our buildings and our workforce.

We also provided our employees with a number of tools to relieve stress—from meditation guidance to yoga classes to our global employee assistance program that connects employees and their families with resources, information, and counseling to address the challenges caused by the pandemic, such as increased anxiety or stress. Employees also had expanded access to various forms of preventative care for their family, including virtual doctor’s visits, COVID-19 testing, and drive-through flu shots. In the U.S., we also provided employees with access to childcare and eldercare. Because the majority of employees unexpectedly had to work from home, the company provided employees with ergonomic guidance and two cash stipends to assist with telecommuting expenses, to enhance employees’ home working environment, and personal wellness.

To protect the small number of business-critical employees who are working on-site during this pandemic, we’ve implemented a detailed list of safety protocols and guidelines. These employees have access to a mobile application that ensures they acknowledge our safety protocols, each day, in order to come on site.

COVID-19 Relief The global pandemic amplified the needs of our communities this year in many areas, including health, hunger, and education. Cadence continued to support our nonprofit partners and expand our giving in 2020. Cadence made contributions to several COVID-19 funds for Doctors Without Borders, Rise Against Hunger, and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Foundation in China to support essential hunger and medical relief. We also purchased and donated thousands of masks to hospitals in areas of the U.S. in greatest need of personal protective equipment. To support employee giving efforts to the many other needs in our community created by COVID-19, Cadence also doubled our donation match limits this year. For example, employees from our Columbia office fundraised virtually for the Maryland Food Bank. Through Cadence's Matching Gift Program, employees were able to donate an equivalent of 17,925 meals.

Mahatma Award 2020 for COVID-19 Humanitarian Effort In recognition of our work to support our communities, Cadence received the Mahatma Award for COVID-19 Humanitarian Efforts. The award recognizes the organizations and individuals who are making a significant effort to help those most impacted by the pandemic.

Our Employees in Action Giving back is a special part of Cadence’s culture. Many employees gave back to support the unique needs of their communities during this challenging time.

Andy Stanaski

Aneesha Kolhatkar

Cary, North Carolina, USA

Dallas, Texas, USA

A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and a lead pilot for the Bandit Flight Team in North Carolina, Andy currently works as a Sr. Principal Software Engineer at Cadence. As a lead pilot, Andy led a Frontline Flyover to pay a tribute to frontline hospital workers.

Aneesha works as a Lead Application Engineer at Cadence. In early 2020 when facemasks were difficult to obtain, Aneesha gathered her friends to sew them using their personal sewing machines. They made double-layered masks with a pocket to insert filters and a wire so people can secure the mask around their nose. Within a few weeks, they sewed more than 500 masks and donated them to the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas. Aneesha and her friends are still actively involved in sewing masks for local hospitals.

“The hospital tributes have been extra special because not only do we get to express our gratitude to the hospital workers, but we carry that expression from the entire community. It is truly more than just us in these moments.”

Michel Raskin

Carol Hoffman

Paris-Velizy, France

San Jose, California, USA

Michel Raskin works as an Application Engineer Architect at Cadence, and in 2019 traveled to Vietnam with Cadence employees for Team4Tech. He purchased a 3D printer and taught orphaned children how to use it. In 2020, he used 3D printers to make face shields for hospitals in Essonne, France. Between April and June, Michel printed 2,700 structures running both of his 3D printers at full speed with materials he had at home or donated directly from stores. Michel fully assembled and distributed 1,100 face shields and sent out the other 1,600 structures for assembly and use.

Carol works as a Program Management Director at Cadence. She is currently President of the West Valley Rotary Community Corps. Her 85-yearold mother inspired her to organize a joint effort with the City of Campbell in bringing together volunteers to deliver hot lunches to senior citizens. Over 30 seniors are now getting hot meals delivered to them in the Campbell, CA area, reducing their exposure to the virus. She is also partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank to distribute food to those in need twice a month.

WORKFORCE: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY

Our employees do meaningful work and solve cutting edge technological challenges at Cadence. Cadence is a great place to work because we live our values of innovation, agility, quality, and integrity. Our HighPerformance Culture is embedded throughout our employee lifecycle–talent acquisition, career development, total rewards, talent management (including promotions), and performance management.

Here is the breakdown of our full-time and part-time workforce as of December 31, 2020:

99%

Full-time

Part-time

In response to COVID-19, we’ve adapted many of our programs and processes to succeed in a virtual environment.

Cadence Team Our employees represent the best and brightest in the industry. The talent we select to join our team defines Cadence’s culture and success–now and in the future. At the end of 2020, Cadence has a team of approximately 8,800 employees and our low voluntary turnover rate of 6.4%, 32% headcount growth over the last five years, and high average tenure of 7.1 years reflects our efforts to create an environment that attracts and retains high-performing talent.

6.4% Turnover Rate

Cadence employees are often highly technical and specialized in their fields. Here is the breakdown of our technical (i.e., programmers and engineers) and non-technical workforce as of December 31, 2020:

87% Technical

13% Nontechnical

7.1 Years of Average Tenure

Employee Engagement Cadence prides itself on being a great place to work and building a high-trust culture. A highly engaged workforce is critical to the foundation of our business success. We have been recognized as one of the top places to work by Fortune magazine for the past six years and by the Great Place to Work Institute in 14 countries where we participate. To measure engagement and the health of our workforce, Cadence partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to annually administer global engagement surveys to employees in all countries where Cadence has employees. The surveys provide valuable insight into our employees’ experiences, give them an opportunity to share ideas for improvement, and benchmark us against some of the best companies in the world. Employee feedback is an important source of input, informing us on what is important to our employees and enabling us to make appropriate adjustments so that we can continue to be a company that allows our employees to thrive.

94% of employees surveyed say they are proud to tell others they work at Cadence.

93% of employees surveyed say Cadence is a Great Place to Work.

Hiring We actively identify candidates with expertise and values-based attributes that can contribute to our success. It is important to us that we build a diverse pipeline of candidates, and we do this through robust recruiting partnerships and by posting requisitions to sites that are focused on diverse backgrounds, experiences, and skills. We have also invested in manager training, including unconscious bias workshops, to enable decision-makers to make thoughtful hiring choices. As we moved into a remote environment, we also developed new, virtual recruiting and onboarding processes.

46% Early Career

HIRES

College Hire and Intern Program We believe that interns and recent college graduates are the future of Cadence, and we invest in them to carry out our mission of innovation. In 2020, 46% of all Cadence hires were early career employees.* We provide mentorship, scholarships, and access to Cadence technology to many students, including those from underrepresented groups. We recruit recent graduates at top universities around the world, including those that historically serve a higher number of Black and Latinx students. Cadence employees participate in tech talks, career fairs, academic sponsorships, and university contests, and we work to facilitate a network between the technology industry and academia. We also partner with schools to build relationships with departments and professors who connect Cadence to the best and brightest students. In 2020, hundreds of global Cadence interns and new college graduates participated in our virtual College Hires and Internship (CHIPs) program.

*Early Career employees are under the age of 30 working in entry-level positions

It is important to the success of Cadence that we provide the support our employees need to thrive, and we foster an environment based on trust, cooperation, respect, and equitable treatment. We believe that workforce diversity and inclusion advance high performance and innovation. We welcome a diverse team that contributes ideas and perspectives to provide a competitive advantage and help us work as a more effective team.

Gender and racial disparities remain a challenge in the technology field, and with a high proportion of technical employees, Cadence is deeply committed to addressing this issue. We regularly monitor the diversity of our current workforce and candidate pool. A diverse and inclusive culture improves team dynamics and cultivates the innovation needed to develop Cadence’s suite of innovative products and services. Here are a few of our key program areas and supporting initiatives:

Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Diversity in Technology Scholarships

To demonstrate our commitment to equality, we applied, and were named one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. With a perfect score of 100, we were included as part of their Corporate Equality Index, which is the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees. This index lists companies that support the LGBTQ+ community through non-discrimination policies, specific LGBTQ+inclusive benefits, and outreach efforts.

This year, we offered a Women in Technology Scholarship, a Black Students in Technology Scholarship, and a Latinx Students in Technology to bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD students at accredited universities in the United States. In 2020, we have awarded scholarships to 31 incredibly talented students to support their careers in technology.

Highlights • Equal Employment: Our Equal Employment Opportunity Policy governs our conduct at Cadence. As stated in our Code of Business Conduct, we prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability globally. • Pipeline: To encourage students of underrepresented groups to pursue careers in STEM, we provide donations to Girls Who Code, Technovation, SMASH, Black Girls Code, Latinas in Tech, Out in Tech, and Vets in Tech. We also provided 31 scholarships for Women in Technology, Black Students in Technology, and Latinx Students in Technology. • Recruitment: We partner with organizations such as the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and Society of Women Engineers (SWE) to advance our inclusion efforts. These partnerships allow us to do more targeted recruiting, outreach, and engagement with these communities.

• Career Support: We have sponsored focused development through an Advanced Leadership Program for top women talent, and for top Black and Latinx talent in 2021, which provides specialized coaching, workshops and career opportunities. In addition, our IMPACT mentorship program gives women, and U.S. Latinx and Black employees in 2021, an opportunity to choose a more senior employee as a mentor based on their career goals. • Pay Equity: We maintained global salary pay parity based on gender and U.S. salary pay parity based on race and ethnicity, again in September 2020. • Learning and Education: We continue to provide unconscious bias resources to managers to challenge ourselves and improve diversity and inclusiveness at Cadence. 90% of current U.S. managers have undergone Unconscious Bias training. • Community: We support five Inclusion Groups at Cadence for Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, Veterans, Women employees, and allies in the United States. These forums open dialogue for sharing and connecting, promoting awareness of experiences and the impact of bias.

Gender Representation Based on many of our Diversity and Inclusion efforts, the proportion of women at Cadence has increased in each of the last seven years. In 2020, 23% of all new hires were women and 30% of our early career and intern hires were women. As of December 31, 2020, women comprised 23% of our global workforce. Women also fill 20% of our technical roles, 45% of our non-technical roles, 17% of all management positions, including executive management and non-executive management, and 30% of our Board of Directors, including one director elected in November, 2020, whose appointment to the Board was effective on January 4, 2021. It is important to the long-term success of Cadence that we give women at Cadence opportunities to succeed in their careers. We have the following additional programs to support women in both technical and non-technical roles building their careers at Cadence:

• Our Women@Cadence group hosts networking opportunities with keynote speakers and social events to build a strong community environment and to better understand and address challenges faced by women in technology and business. We have continued these events in a virtual setting. • Our Chief Revenue Officer and SVP of Worldwide Field Operations sponsors our Women of Worldwide Field Operations program to develop and retain our women leaders in the Worldwide Field Operations group. • Our President sponsors our Women in Technology program to develop and retain our women leaders in the technical and engineering field.

23%

Female

GENDER DIVERSITY

HIRES

20%

45%

Female

TECHNICAL ROLES

NON-TECHNICAL ROLES

17%

30%

Female

MANAGEMENT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Global Semiconductor Alliance’s Pledge for Women’s Advancement To show our commitment to diversity in the semiconductor industry and the broader community, CEO Lip-Bu Tan signed the Global Semiconductor Alliance’s Women’s Leadership Initiative’s CEO Pledge, taking a stand with other industry leaders to make a substantial impact on the advancement of women in the semiconductor industry. By signing this pledge, Lip-Bu and Cadence have committed to prioritizing gender diversity through recruitment, retention, development, and offering dedicated opportunities for women to advance in their careers. Cadence also became their “Champion of Women” sponsor to support their leadership events and university programs and to promote the impact Cadence women have in the semiconductor industry. Cadence will also have a seat on GSA’s Women’s Leadership Council.

Compensation To inspire and recognize our employees, Cadence offers competitive compensation and benefits programs. Cadence’s compensation programs link employee compensation to Cadence’s business and individual performance. We also offer a semi-annual bonus program, 401(k) match, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and equity compensation. In addition, 79% of our employees received monetary awards from their colleagues through our peer-to-peer recognition program in 2020 for exploring what’s possible, elevating the team, executing with quality, and exceeding customer expectation. In 2020, we performed a detailed review of our compensation practices in all countries where Cadence has employees. We are proud to report that Cadence maintained global salary pay parity based on gender and U.S. salary pay parity based on race and ethnicity, again in September 2020.

Pay Equity • In all countries where Cadence has employees, we maintained global salary pay parity based on gender. • In the United States, we maintained salary pay parity based on race and ethnicity.

Health and Well-Being Our employees’ physical and mental health and well-being is a top priority at Cadence. We offer a variety of unique benefits in addition to traditional health insurance. We have a global bereavement leave policy that allows employees more time to grieve should they lose a loved one. In the U.S., we have a flexible vacation time policy that allows employees to request time off whenever they deem it appropriate, subject to manager approval, rather than accruing vacation hours. Our U.S. health and well-being benefits include fertility benefits, coverage for transgender employees undergoing medical treatment, expanded new parent leave, adoption and surrogacy benefits, financial planning and coaching services, legal services, as well as onsite dental care at our corporate headquarters in San Jose, California.

Dependent Care We provide employees with access to back-up child care, elder care, and additional family support, giving employees the flexibility and freedom to better care for their loved ones.

Employees are provided resources for mindfulness and meditation to help reduce stress and improve focus in their daily lives. When offices are open, our employees can also enjoy peaceful space to focus on personal wellness in our Wellness or Quiet rooms.

In addition to structured learning programs and compliance training, we provide training and tools for stress management, time management, conflict resolution, and cultural and emotional intelligence.

Safety Cadence is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for our employees and non-Cadence personnel. We have a cross-functional Emergency Response Team trained to quickly respond to emergency or crisis situations at Cadence. The Emergency Response Team conducts periodic simulation training that cover various applicable situations, so they are prepared for an emergency or a crisis. As provided in our Code of Business Conduct, our employees are expected to perform their work in compliance with health and safety laws, regulations and policies of their work location. When working at customer locations, our employees follow the customer’s health and safety requirements. Workplace injuries, illnesses, or unsafe conditions, including conditions that are likely to result in injury or illness, must be immediately reported to a supervisor or Human Resources partner.

Below is our 2019 OSHA Recordable Injury Rate and our Lost-Time Injury Rate for our employees in the U.S.:

0.2%

Injury Rate per 100 Employees in the U.S.

Lost Work Days

Training and Career Development As employees advance their careers at Cadence, the core expectations and capabilities increase in scope and purpose. To help employees succeed, we foster an environment and culture of learning–both on the job and through formal training programs and our learning curriculums. On average, our employees complete 24 hours of training annually . Employees can utilize learning resources through our HighPerformance Culture portal that includes Harvard University’s ManageMentor, a mini-MBA program, and a comprehensive online Learning Management program, accessed by 80% of our employees, with training and development tools on a broad range of topics and skills. Cadence also offers up to $5,000 of tuition reimbursement annually to employees continuing in fields relevant to their job.

In support of our company values, and the commitments we have made to our stakeholders, each year all of our employees, including management, are required to complete mandatory training on various critical topics, such as our Code of Business Conduct, anti-corruption, diversity and inclusion, harassment prevention, protection of confidential information, data security, affirmative action, export compliance, and human rights.

Hours per Employee for Technical Training

Hours per Employee for Non-Technical Training

INNOVATION

Cadence Products – Helping Customers Develop More Sustainable Products Cadence’s Intelligent System Design strategy enables our customers to design innovative and differentiated electronic products. One of the essential drivers for the electronics industry is the desire to develop products that continuously reduce power consumption while increasing

performance. Awareness of power usage, performance, and area (PPA) in electronic design is critical. We understand these pressures and continue to innovate and provide technology to achieve the ideal combination of low power with high performance in smaller form factors.

Data Center

Automotive

One recent example of sustainability-driven innovation is highlighted in our work with Arm. Arm Research used the Cadence full digital implementation and verification flows to perform a physical and thermal design study using the Arm® Neoverse N1 processor IP. Arm Research simulated the processor as a “3D stack” where the L1 cache sat separated from and on top of the rest of the processor logic, implemented on a separate chip. Stacking the logic and cache chips greatly reduced wire length, which reduced Dhrystone power by 28% and maximum power by 16%. Cadence and our partners are paving the way for more sustainable data center design to meet rapidly growing compute and data demands at the edge and in the cloud.

Another recent example in automotive design is our Cadence Tensilica® HiFi Digital Signal Processor (DSP). This technology enables car manufacturers to reduce noise pollution and vehicle weight by using active noise cancellation technology to reduce road and engine noise in the cabin of the vehicle. Similar to noise cancelling headphones, Tensilica HiFi DSPs use underlying algorithms in conjunction with microphones and speakers to “remove” the road and engine noise reducing the need for additional sound dampening materials to be used in the automobile. This design capability lessens the overall weight of the vehicle, providing an opportunity for more fuel-efficiency thereby saving consumers money and reducing emissions.

Customer Highlight: Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) Wireless Battery Management System for Electric Vehicles Electric vehicles attract strong interest with their efficiency in energy consumption and reduction of emissions. As the market for electric vehicles continues to grow, there is an increasing need to create an effective battery management system to monitor, manage, and maintain high-performance batteries to power all aspects of the vehicle. With Cadence design tools, Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) created Pinnacle, the industry’s first wireless battery management system (WBMS), a new disruptive technology that solves the demand for longer range vehicles, decreased charge times and cost, and improved functional safety. Given the challenging application space and stringent low-power operational requirements to create ADI’s revolutionary WBMS, it was imperative to use an ultra-low power design flow. The Cadence digital full flow, including the Genus™ Synthesis Solution, Innovus™ Implementation System, Conformal® Low Power, Tempus™ Timing Signoff Solution, and Voltus™ IC Power Integrity Solution, plus Xcelium™ Logic Simulation enabled the execution and delivery of this significantly challenging design and ensured the automotive quality expected. This, along with the support of Cadence design experts, resulted in a significant collaborative effort to manage and guide proper definition of the low power constraints and assisted with leakage recovery post timing closure to enhance the standby power

performance of the product. The digital flow used the Common Power Format (CPF) to automatically synthesize the low-power features into the design, ensured the CPF did not violate proper design practices, and worked to verify the tools accurately synthesized the CPF features into the design.

Incubator Programs for Sustainable Innovation The Cadence University Incubator program supports university incubators and early-stage startup companies through their design-to-prototyping journey. By sharing design excellence practices and tape out know-how, and by providing affordable access to industry-grade Cadence technology, the Cadence University Incubator program reduces cost and time in achieving a proof of concept. Startups in the program receive online training, remote development options, and design services, plus mentorship and networking opportunities. ANAFLASH Inc., an energy-efficient edge computing company, joined the Cadence Incubator Program through UC Berkeley’s Skydeck Accelerator. Using the CloudBurst™ platform and other Cadence tools, ANAFLASH is developing a brain inspired processor for edge AI devices. The processor is highly energy efficient and easily scalable because of its proprietary computing-in-memory architecture deployed in a standard logic process.

Cadence has empowered us to conduct this ground-breaking research through its generous incubator program. Using the Cadence CloudBurst platform, a cloud-based design environment, enables us to work remotely in a secure environment and gives our team the ability to selectively burst to meet peak demand without impacting existing flows and methodologies. Seung-Hwan Song, CEO and Co-Founder, ANAFLASH Inc.

Innovation at Cadence Cadence encourages its employees to generate ideas for new products, solutions to address customers’ most difficult challenges, and improvements to existing Cadence products and processes. Game-changing innovation happens when every employee brings their diverse skills, knowledge, and experiences to the table.

Turning Ideas into Innovations Cadence’s Digital Garage and Idea Maker Labs are two programs that allow Cadence engineers to bring their innovative ideas to light. Both programs encourage engineers to think creatively, beyond their day to day jobs, to develop ideas into innovations. At the Idea Maker Labs, employees can put forward their own original ideas and work alongside a team of engineers to test and develop the ideas. During this process they build a better understanding of the innovation and potential market. This results in prototypes and plans, which are reviewed by R&D management for further funding to develop into new products. In the first year of activity, dozens of ideas were submitted from across the R&D organization, with a number of those ideas going through the process and graduating to the product development stage. Through the Digital Garage program, engineers can submit a proposal any time, through a digital application. Proposals are reviewed by the Digital Garage technical committee, which picks proposals that are innovative or ground-breaking and that could solve a current technical challenge or customer problem. The committee support to the engineers extends by acting as a sounding board, mentoring and helping the employees or team make technical and business connections. Although success is a high priority for the Digital Garage, equally as important is the exploration and creativity of thought.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Combatting Climate-Change Reducing our environmental footprint, including doing our part to combat climate change, is important to Cadence, our employees, and our external stakeholders. Building on last year’s inaugural carbon footprinting and climate reporting efforts, we submitted our response to CDP’s Climate Change Questionnaire. We are also pleased to announce a greenhouse gas reduction target of 15% by 2025 over our 2019 baseline emissions. The goal covers Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for all owned and leased properties and is informed by the Science Based Target Initiative and the 2˚C Scenario. We have implemented the following initiatives in 2020, the benefits of which we expect to see in 2021 and beyond.

2025 Target

1. We undertook technology upgrades and retrofits at our on-premises data centers and office space to reduce energy consumption, increase redundancy, and improve sustainability. 2. We converted all lighting at Cadence’s owned facilities to LED fixtures.

15%

Reduction

3. We developed a refined methodology for calculating Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services and capital goods using actual emissions data from key suppliers who are working to reduce their carbon footprints, which we will pilot in the coming year.

CO2e

CH4

N2O

HFCs

SCOPE 1 DIRECT

SCOPE 2 INDIRECT

INDIRECT

Fuel Combustion Natural Gas Purchased Electricity For Own Use

SCOPE 3

Diesel Fuel Refrigerant Emissions

Business Travel & Employee Commuting

Production of Purchased Goods & Services (Including Capital Goods)

Transportation of Goods

Outsourced Activities

Carbon Footprint and Energy Use We completed our third greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory in 2020 and continued to make progress towards reducing our carbon footprint. Our Scope 1 and 2 emissions decreased by 11% from 2019 to 2020. While we had a decrease in energy consumption at some of our offices due to employees working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth of our business and number of employees is driving an increase in energy use primarily at our data centers. Our carbon footprint is calculated in accordance with the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. The calculation of our carbon footprint includes our owned and leased properties, as well as our colocated data centers. To provide a comprehensive carbon *For Scope 2, market-based values are used unless otherwise specified. 34

footprint, estimations were based on the square footage and consumption from comparable locations when actual data were unavailable for some of our leased offices and co-located data centers. Our primary energy source is purchased electricity used to run our owned and leased offices as well as our owned and co-located data centers. During the 2020 reporting period, we improved the cooling environment for our onsite data center and remodeled one of the seven buildings at our headquarters in San Jose. As part of the retrofit of our existing data center, we implemented energy-efficient design features, such as a building management system (BMS) digital control network, automated mister controls for extreme hot weather, and free cooling economizers. These upgrades resulted in an

2019 and 2020 Scope 1 and 2 Emissions

Scope 1 Scope 2 (market-based*)

Total Scope 1 + 2

2019 CO2e

2020 CO2e

2020 Scope 1 + 2

YOY Change

(metric tons)

(%)

6,314

5,951

20%

6% decrease

26,363

23,293

80%

12% decrease

32,677

29,244

100%

11% decrease

*Market-based emissions reflect clean energy purchases that Cadence has purposefully chosen. Scope 2 market-based figures, Total Scope 1+2, and percentages updated after revising the Scope 2 market-based calculation methodology to align strictly with GHG Protocol preferences.

eight- to ten-degree temperature reduction at our data centers during extreme hot weather and high ambient temperature conditions.

Our natural gas, diesel fuel, and refrigerant emissions (Scope 1 emissions) accounted for 20% of our Scope 1 and 2 totals in 2020.

In addition, our building remodel included an installation of a variable air volume HVAC system with adjustable air flow and CO2 sensor-based Demand Control Ventilation for conference rooms. We also made improvements to our air cooling system, including digital controls, programmable BMS, and installation of a new cooling unit with an air-side economizer. All of these improvements allow us to optimize energy use at our headquarters.

In 2020, we reduced our aggregate Scope 1 and 2 emissions per employee by 18% compared to 2019. The reduction is primarily attributable to a decrease in overall energy use, the rate of workforce growth exceeding the rate of facility space growth, and an increased use of carbon-free energy.

In 2020, we used an aggregate of 276,771 Gigajoules of energy. Overall, our total energy use in 2020 compared to 2019 decreased by 3%. Emissions from our electricity use (Scope 2 emissions) accounted for 80% of our Scope 1 and 2 totals in 2020.

As we strive toward carbon reductions, we are continually evaluating ways to reduce emissions, including clean energy contracts with our utility providers, renewable power purchase agreements, carbon offsets, renewable energy credits, and on-site solar installations.

Emissions in the Value Chain We own some of our offices and lease others. In 2020, our owned locations in San Jose, California and Noida, India accounted for 43% of Scope 1 and 2 total emissions and leased locations accounted for 53% of Scope 1 and 2 total emissions. Our collocated data centers account for 4% of our Scope 1 and 2 total emissions. When we lease offices, energy-efficiency is a key factor in our decision to lease. All of our office remodels and expansions now utilize energy efficient technologies. As of September 2020, 100% of our owned offices utilize LED lights. To mitigate the impact of our data centers on the environment as the global economy transitions to a low carbon future, we leverage a variety of different formats. For example, we have an on-premise data center that is powered by 80% carbonfree energy, including 45% renewable energy, and utilizes outside air to naturally cool the servers. Additionally, our colocated and cloud-based data center partners have set goals to be 100% renewable energy powered by 2025. As part of our annual GHG assessment, we also conducted an analysis of our emissions from purchased goods and services (including upstream and downstream transportation and distributions), capital goods, fuel and energy related activities, business travel, and employee commuting (Scope 3 emissions). Using 2020 spend data, U.S. electricity data, and the Quantis Scope 3 Evaluator tool, we were able to analyze five of the 15 Scope 3 categories.

The majority of our emissions are in the supply chain; therefore, our Scope 3 emissions eclipsed our combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions, accounting for approximately 94% of our total Scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon footprint. 2020 Scope 1, 2, and 3 Emissions

Location-Based CO2e Emissions*

Market-Based CO2e Emissions*

(metric tons)

Scope 1

5,951

Scope 2

28,783

23,293

Scope 3

422,027

Scope

*Market-based emissions reflect clean energy purchases that Cadence has purposefully chosen. Location-based clean energy purchases reflect the average emissions intensity of grids on which energy consumption occurs. Scope 2 market-based figure updated after revising the Scope 2 market-based calculation methodology to align strictly with GHG Protocol preferences.

1% 5% 2020 SCOPE 1, 2, 3 EMISSIONS (metric tons)

Scope 1 Scope 2

94 % 36

Scope 3

The evaluated categories of our Scope 3 emissions in 2020 are provided below: Overall, our Scope 3 emissions increased 34% compared to 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, emissions from business travel and employee commuting decreased by 59% and 71%, respectively. However, emissions from purchased goods and services and capital goods increased by 54% and 22%, respectively. These increases were due primarily to the growth of our business in 2020, as well as investments in our onsite data center and R&D facility at our San Jose headquarters. In line with our efforts to deepen supplier engagement around ESG issues, we have developed a Scope 3 emissions calculation methodology that uses actual emissions data from our key suppliers, which we will pilot in the coming year.

0.2%

Business Employee Fuel-and-energy travel commuting related activities (not included in Scope 1 or 2)

16%

Capital goods

2020 SCOPE 3 EMISSIONS (metric tons)

81% Purchased goods and services

We expect the new methodology to produce reductions in Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services and capital goods categories because it takes into account the work that our valued suppliers are doing to reduce their own carbon footprints.

Water Use At most of our offices, water use is minimal and is for drinking, sanitation, and irrigation. Across our operations, we integrate efficient landscaping, automated taps, water conservation and sensor technology in washing areas and restrooms. We also recycle and treat waste water to use for all of our landscaping needs at the San Jose campus. In conjunction with the city of San Jose’s Energy and Water Building Performance Ordinance, we are taking steps to share our water usage data with the city, which will help the city implement its GHG emission reduction and water conservation goals. We plan to expand these efforts globally and focus firstly on locations that are exposed to the most water stress. Utilizing the WRI Water Risk Atlas and the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 scenario adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we refreshed our water stress assessment across our operations. The analysis indicated our sites in India, China, Israel, California and Colorado are located in areas facing the greatest water stress, while additional sites in Europe and the United States face high water stress as well. We use these insights when reviewing our business continuity plans to ensure we continue to safeguard our employees and mitigate the impacts of climate change on our business.

GOVERNANCE

Ethical conduct and integrity are integral parts of Cadence’s culture and long-term success. We are committed to conducting business with the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity.

Board Governance As of January 4, 2021, our Board of Directors is comprised of ten individuals, nine of whom are independent as determined pursuant to the Nasdaq Stock Market’s listing standards, including the chairman of the Board. Fully independent committees of the Board oversee audit, remuneration and nomination. Our Board’s Corporate Governance Guidelines cover various topics relating to the Board and its responsibilities. The Corporate Governance Guidelines reflect the Board’s commitment to monitor their effectiveness and decision-making at the Board and management level, outline the authority and practices in place to review and evaluate Cadence’s business operations as needed, and make decisions that are independent of Cadence’s management.

Board Membership The Board’s Corporate Governance Guidelines reaffirm Cadence’s commitment to having leaders on the Board with diverse backgrounds. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee’s charter requires consideration of a director nominee’s integrity, experience, judgment, diversity of background, independence, financial literacy, and ability to commit sufficient time and attention to Board activities.

In addition, skills such as an understanding of electronic design, semiconductor and electronics systems technologies, international background, and other relevant characteristics are considered. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee regularly discusses and annually reviews as a committee and with the Board the appropriate experience, skills and characteristics required of directors in the context of the current composition of the Board and its committees. In 2020 our Board elected three new directors, two of whom are female and two who are ethnically diverse.

70%

30%

Male

Female

GENDER

60%

40%

White

Non-White

ETHNICITY

BOARD OF DIRECTORS DIVERSITY

Board Oversight of the Corporate Social Responsibility Program

Ethical Conduct: Code of Business Conduct

Our Board, through its Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, oversees our corporate social responsibility program and the progress of our environmental (including climate-related risks and opportunities), social (including health, wellness and safety), and governance efforts, matters, and initiatives. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee formally reviews our environmental, social, and governance efforts and climate-related issues within the organization at every regular meeting and regularly reports to the Board on such programs. In 2020, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee held three meetings. The Board and its Compensation Committee formally review the benefits provided to our employees, including health and wellness, once a year.

Our Code of Business Conduct provides standards for ethical conduct in how we work with each other at Cadence and with our customers, suppliers, government officials, and other stakeholders. Our Code of Business Conduct also reflects our values of integrity, innovation, agility, and quality, and it applies worldwide to our Board, officers, employees, and certain contractors and consultants.

100% of employees completed compliance training

Compliance with our Code of Business Conduct is the responsibility of all employees and a condition of continued employment. Our employees are required to annually certify that they have reviewed and understand the Code of Business Conduct and annually complete training that covers areas in the Code of Business Conduct, such as accuracy of records, conflicts of interest, and raising concerns or reporting possible misconduct. Our Code of Business Conduct is translated for our employees in the following local languages: Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Taiwanese. The Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Legal Officer of Cadence, under the supervision of the Board, actively monitor and audit compliance of the Code of Business Conduct. Our Chief Legal Officer periodically provides reports to the Board or its Audit Committee that include information on alleged violations of and the actions taken under the Code of Business Conduct.

Business Ethics: Anti-Corruption

Political Contributions

Integrity is the foundation of our High-Performance Culture. It is important to Cadence that we operate ethically and transparently, avoiding conflicts of interest, competing fairly and legally, and complying with the rules and regulations of the regions where we do business. Our Code of Business Conduct and our Anti-Corruption Policy are the foundation of our robust corporate governance and compliance programs. Any material losses or legal action regarding anti-competitive behavior or violation of anti-trust and monopoly legislation required to be disclosed pursuant to the regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would be reflected in our filings with the SEC.

Any contributions or donations on behalf of Cadence to a political party, candidate, action committee, initiative, campaign or advocacy on behalf of Cadence must receive pre-approval from the Chief Legal Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of Cadence.

Cadence has no tolerance for bribery in connection with any of its business dealings. Our Anti-Corruption Policy, which is summarized in our Code of Business Conduct, provides rules and procedures for providing or accepting gifts, entertainment, meals, travel-related expenses or anything of value, and charitable and political contributions. The Chief Legal Officer of Cadence oversees our Anti-Corruption Policy. Our Anti-Corruption program at Cadence is extensive and all employees, including management, are required to certify that they have reviewed our Anti-Corruption Policy and undergo annual refresher training.

Cadence did not contribute to political parties, candidates or political action committees, or for the purposes of political advocacy in 2020, 2019, or 2018.

Reporting Concerns Our employees are required to promptly report possible misconduct, including illegal activities, unethical business practices, violations of the Code of Business Conduct or our other policies, and any other concerns about corporate governance, accounting, internal accounting controls, or audit matters. As provided in our Code of Business Conduct, our employees can report possible misconduct or raise their concerns to their supervisor, Human Resources partner, office of the Chief Legal Officer, or anonymously via our whistleblower hotline.

PRIVACY AND SECURITY: MANAGING RISKS OF SECURE DATA

Effectively managing data security, cybersecurity, and other operational risks is vital to our business continuity efforts and to protecting the sensitive data that Cadence obtains from its customers, partners, and employees. Our products and services involve storage, including cloud-based storage, and transmission of our proprietary information and that of our customers. We have offices throughout the world, including key research and development locations outside of the United States. Our business continuity is dependent upon the connectivity of our operations throughout the world and is subject to a number of risks outlined in our current Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our Information Security team works to identify and prevent risks to the security of protected data we collect. Our Chief Information Security Officer administers our data privacy and cybersecurity program, with oversight from the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. We regularly update our Board of Directors on our performance and risk profile. In 2020, with a vast majority of employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, we focused on providing secure remote access with endpoint security controls and infrastructure resiliency. We also enhanced our security incident response procedures to address risks specific to remote working conditions.

We structure our data privacy and security program to align with the EU, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and ISO 27001 standards. Our program includes security controls to detect and mitigate risks that could compromise data that Cadence obtains from its customers, partners, and employees. We have procedures in place for compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act. We perform regular internal and external tests to identify potential vulnerabilities. In the event of a data breach, we have documented response procedures and trained staff to execute our emergency protocol. Cadence’s Privacy Policy explains how and when we collect personal data and the types of information the policy covers. The policy also outlines our data disclosure policy, opt out procedures, location and retention policies, user rights, and contact information for reporting questions or concerns. To ensure all Cadence employees are aware of our policies and procedures on data privacy and security, an annual training for data privacy and cybersecurity is mandatory. The training covers topics such as data protection, classification and privacy, cybersecurity, phishing, and other pertinent topics. Any data breaches, law enforcement requests for user information, or other issues associated with data security and user privacy would be disclosed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission if such disclosure is required pursuant to SEC regulations.

SUPPLY CHAIN

Supply Chain Partners Our supply chain is divided between spend for goods and services that are either directly incorporated into our manufactured products (direct) or goods and services that are not incorporated into our manufactured products (indirect). We rely on trusted manufacturing partners for the majority of our technology production. These partners manage the relationships with first and second tier suppliers for parts and raw materials. We have business continuity programs in place to identify and mitigate risk factors in the supply chain for various uncertainties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Our risk factors are discussed in detail in the Annual Report on Form 10-K. Cadence leverages suppliers to support our operations such as:

Cadence is proud to share that our Hardware System Verification (HSV) operations, including oversight and management of manufacture and services of enterprise emulation platforms, maintains ISO 9000 Certification for quality management and assurance. The process approach and principle of continual improvement of ISO 9001 govern the sustainability of our supply chain. During the reporting period, we continued the process of shifting to collocated data centers, which provide greater opportunity to use renewable energy to power our data center needs.

• Computer, Electrical, Optical, and Office Equipment • Telecommunications, Shipping, and Postal Services • Financial Intermediation, Professional Services, Real Estate Activities, and Data Centers • Travel, Hotels, and Restaurants

Engaging with Suppliers on Sustainability We are committed to extending the rigorous ESG-aligned governance standards discussed in this report to our partners with whom we do business. As such, we published our inaugural Supplier Code of Conduct in 2020. We shared this Code with all our suppliers and we required all new suppliers in North America and EMEA to acknowledge the Code. Since the rollout of this program in of 2020, 100% of new suppliers acknowledged the Code. In 2020, we also developed a supplier questionnaire that focuses on sustainability issues, including our suppliers’ governance of climate change, natural resources, labor, data security, ethics and integrity. We will be collecting responses

to this survey in conjunction with our business reviews with key suppliers: a subset of 50 suppliers who comprise the majority of Cadence’s supply chain spend. Establishing this baseline data will enable us to identify and assess risks and opportunities within our value chain. Finally, we focused our efforts during the reporting period on diversity and inclusion in Cadence’s supply chain. We leveraged a third party to identify how many of our suppliers meet a diversity criterion such as woman, veteran, disability or minority-owned, and their related certifications. With this data, Cadence will be able to identify how to best engage with and empower these value chain partners.

Human Rights in the Supply Chain We believe that no individual should be subjected to any form of forced labor, slavery or human trafficking, and we will take necessary steps to prevent forced labor, slavery or human trafficking from existing within Cadence and to reduce the possibility of forced labor, slavery or human trafficking taking place in our supply chains, by requiring our new suppliers and partners to be bound by obligations to comply with all applicable laws. The 2015 UK Modern Slavery Act informs our management of these issues, and Cadence’s position can be viewed in full on our website at https://www.cadence.com/ en_US/home/company/corporate-governance.html.

Cadence is also committed to responsible sourcing of materials for its products and seeks to avoid the use of conflict minerals (tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold) sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries that may directly or indirectly finance or benefit armed groups that engage in human rights abuses. We also support industry efforts, such as the Conflict Free Sourcing Initiative, to enable companies to source conflict-free minerals. And, we expect the same from our suppliers. We set forth our expectations for our suppliers in our Conflict Minerals Policy Statement located on our website at http://conflictminerals.cadence.com.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

2020 Community Outreach Highlights Cadence understands that the success of our business depends upon the success of our employees and the communities in which we live and work. Our Cadence Cares program promotes science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) among youth, with a special focus on underrepresented groups, including veterans, Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and women communities, to create a future pipeline of diverse talent. Cadence is also a proud sponsor of Girls Who Code alumni and summer immersion programs that prepare girls and young women for careers in computer science. We also believe it is important that we create meaningful opportunities for employees to connect and contribute to their community. We provide 40 hours of paid volunteer time off annually, charitable contribution matching, companywide volunteer campaigns and international service immersion projects.

Enabling Remote Education for Disadvantaged Students The pandemic has affected many facets of our societies, including access to education in vulnerable communities. We once again partnered with Team4Tech to give our time, talent, and resources to support quality STEM education to those who have been severely impacted by school closures due to COVID-19. Our efforts help disadvantaged youth develop critical skills that can enable their career and give them opportunities for a brighter future. Through this program employees volunteered virtually to support 80,000 underserved learners around the world. We also partnered with Team4Tech to engage two teams of employees to help educators integrate technology lessons into their classrooms. The first team of employees supported Kidspire, a nonprofit organization in Vietnam whose mission is to help children living in orphanages build skills for productive employment. The team was originally set to travel to Vietnam to implement their projects but adapted to a virtual format due to the pandemic, choosing to extend their support for an additional six months. A second team of employees virtually volunteered with LEAP Science and Math Schools, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide high quality, lowfee education to underserved youth living in the townships of South Africa. In total, our volunteers provided over 1,650

hours of pro-bono service and reached 920 students through their work on these two projects alone. Because of our contributions, Cadence was named Team4Tech’s Partner of the Year. In India, Cadence has implemented several programs that serve local children with the greatest needs, including the differently-abled and those without families. In partnership with the Concern India Foundation, Cadence connects thousands of children to important resources that support their health and education, including athletics programs, technical skills training, healthcare, counseling, and other essentials like food and clothing. For five years, Cadence has supported scholarships for high school graduates from low socio-economic backgrounds to encourage them to continue their education and improve their livelihoods. More than 170 students received a scholarship in 2020, and 38 have been able to successfully find job placements this year. These students receive regular mentorship from Cadence employees who motivate them to achieve their career goals.

Supporting Diversity in Tech

Innovating for Sustainability

Cadence made contributions to a number of nonprofits with programs that create opportunities to pursue careers in technology for underrepresented groups, including students of color, low-income students, first-generation college students, women and girls, veterans, and LGBTQ+. The efforts of our nonprofit partners will help build a more diverse pipeline in tech.

Cadence is devoted to introducing and promoting technology to the global community for the good of future generations. We sponsored the Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), which funds new ventures whose missions align with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Several Cadence employees participated as judges this year, reviewing over 60 pitches. Cadence CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, was also featured in XTC’s 2020 Bootcamp series on “Building Companies,” sharing his insights on promising technology and the importance of company culture. XTC’s ongoing global effort will help pave the way for technology leaders and entrepreneurs of the future to deliver the breakthroughs necessary to help address the world’s biggest problems and realize a sustainable future.

For the third year in a row, we partnered with Girls Who Code to provide a fully virtual Summer Immersion program. Cadence hosted 33 students in a virtual classroom, conducting workshops and mentorship opportunities with Cadence employees. We also provided a contribution so several low-income students could buy laptops and participate in the new virtual program. The two-week program culminated in a project showcase and graduation, where students presented their final projects to Cadence employees. Cadence also funded two Technovation chapters under the STEM Next Opportunity Fund initiative. The program will help increase the skills of educators and mentors to supports girls to solve problems using technology. In turn, 400 girls will increase their interest in STEM, sense of self-efficacy, and ability to solve real-world problems. As a new sponsor for the SMASH Academic Year Program (AYP), Cadence will help provide their students at three Northern California sites with an engaging curriculum three hours a day, two Saturdays a month during the academic school year. Workshops focus on college success and computer science, with time scheduled to help with financial aid, virtual college visits, and understanding college fit. We made additional contributions to Black Girls Code, Latinas in Tech, Out in Tech, and Vets in Tech to support their ongoing education programs and career services.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

World's Best Workplaces Cadence has been recognized by Fortune and the Great Place to Work Institute as #18 on the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces list. We were also recognized as a top company to work for in all of Europe and Asia.

100 Best Companies to Work For Fortune Six years in a row as one of Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For

Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality

Top 50 Companies That Care

Named one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation with a perfect score of 100 for their Corporate Equality Index

For our programs that care for, and support, the environment, our employees, and the community

Investor's Business Daily named Cadence #7 in their Top 50 ESG Companies and #3 in Software Category

23 Global Recognitions

Named to Investor’s Business Daily Top 50 Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) Companies list with regard to sustainability and ethical impact

People

Great Place to Work Institute Best workplace honors in multiple categories across 14 different countries

Partner of the Year Team4Tech has recognized Cadence as their corporate partner of the year for our partnership over the last three years on projects in South Africa, Uganda, and Vietnam

Mahatma 2020 Leadership Awards

Gold Stevie® Awards in the 2020 International Business Awards®

Recognition for excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility and COVID-19 Humanitarian Efforts

Most Innovative Tech Company of the Year and Innovation of the Year for the Cadence Clarity 3D Solver

TI Supplier Excellence Award

OIP Partner of the Year

Texas Instruments awarded Cadence their Supplier Excellence Award, the first time in nearly 10 years this award has gone to an EDA/IP company

Cadence received four OIP Partner of the Year awards from TSMC for IP and EDA solutions company

China IC Design Award Outstanding EDA Company

The award recognizes leading IC design companies whose contributions assist engineers in developing electronic system products in China

2020 Innovators Award

Hope for Access

Vision Systems Design awarded the Cadence Tensilica Vision Q7 DSP a 2020 Innovators Award in the embedded vision category

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association presented Cadence with the Hope Award for Access, recognizing its generous employee benefits that focus on family building options for their employees

World Electronic Achievement Awards Cadence Digital Full Flow with iSpatial Technology has been selected via voting by the ASPENCORE user community worldwide as a winner of a 2020 ASPENCORE World Electronics Achievement Award (WEAA) for EDA/IP

GRI INDEX GRI & SASB Content Index Company name: Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Reporting Period: 2020

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

1, 4

ABOUT CADENCE - Stock Exchange/Trading Symbol

Cadence 2020 Form 10-K

GRI & SASB General Disclosures GRI 102: General Disclosures

102-1 Name of the organization

(NASDAQ: CDNS) 102-2 Activities, brands, products, and services

ABOUT CADENCE

102-3 Location of headquarters

ABOUT CADENCE - Offices

Index Only Cadence - Our Story 4

2655 Seely Avenue, San Jose, California 95134 102-4 Location of operations

102-5 Ownership and legal form

ABOUT CADENCE - Countries

Global presence across 23 countries

Cadence - Our Story

See our Annual Report

Index Only Cadence 2020 Form 10-K

102-6 Markets served

See our Annual Report

Index Only Cadence 2020 Form 10-K

102-7 Scale of the organization

WORKFORCE: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY Cadence Team ABOUT CADENCE - Revenue As of December 31st, 2020, Cadence has approximately 8,800 employees in our offices worldwide. We reported $2.68B in Fiscal Year 2020 total revenue.

Cadence 2020 Form 10-K

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

WORKFORCE: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY Cadence Team

GRI General Disclosures GRI 102: General Disclosures

102-8 Information on employees and other workers

Global Full Time – over 99% of employees Global Part Time – less than 1% of employees Global Full Time - 8,703 Global Part Time - 67 102-9 Supply chain

ABOUT CADENCE - Transforming the Way People Design Next-Generation Systems

4-5, 45

SUPPLY CHAIN - Supply Chain Partners 102-10 Significant changes to the organization and its supply chain

SUPPLY CHAIN - Supply Chain Partners, Engaging with Suppliers on Sustainability

45-46

102-11 Precautionary Principle or approach

Our Corporate Governance incorporates risk management approaches to reduce and avoid negative impacts in operations. See our Corporate Governance microsite for more details.

Index Only

102-12 External initiatives

Cadence is an affiliate member of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) as well as takes part in the following Economic, Environmental and Social initiatives: Team4Tech; Great Place to Work Institute; National Society of Black Engineers; Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers; Out in Tech; Society of Women Engineers; Extreme Tech Challenge; Girls Who Code; LEAP Science and Math Schools; and Kidspire

8, 15, 17-18, 21, 49-51, 53-54

Please visit our website for our Industry Partnerships

Index Only

102-13 Membership of associations

Cadence Corporate Governance Website

Responsible Business Alliance Members

Cadence Industry Partnerships

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

102-14 Statement from senior decisionmaker

LETTER FROM OUR CEO

102-16 Values, principles, standards and norms of behavior

GOVERNANCE - Ethical Conduct: Code of Business Conduct

GRI & SASB General Disclosures GRI 102: General Disclosures

Cadence Code of Business Conduct

Our Code of Business Conduct outlines our policy, which applies to the company's employees, officers, and nonemployee directors, including the Company's CEO, CFO and principal accounting officer or controller. 102-17 Mechanisms for advice and concerns about ethics

GOVERNANCE - Ethical Conduct: Code of Business Conduct, Reporting Concerns

40-41 Cadence Code of Business Conduct

Our Code of Business Conduct outlines the internal and external mechanisms for employees to seek advice about ethical and lawful behavior, and organizational integrity, and to report concerns about unethical or unlawful behavior, and organizational integrity. GOVERNANCE - Board Membership

Learn more about our Corporate Governance policies, our Board of Directors, and our Board composition on our Corporate Governance microsite.

Cadence Corporate Governance Website

102-20 Executive-level responsibility for economic, environmental, and social topics

GOVERNANCE - Board Oversight of the Corporate Social Responsibility Program

102-22 Composition of the highest governance body and its committees

SUMMARY OF 2020 ACTIVITIES - Highlights from 2020

9, 22, 39

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION - Gender Representation

Cadence Corporate Governance Website

102-18 Governance structure

Please see our 2020 CDP Climate Change Investor Response, questions 1.1a and 1.1b, for more details.

GOVERNANCE - Board Membership 102-40 List of stakeholder groups

ABOUT THE REPORT Our key stakeholder groups include but are not limited to: current and former Cadence employees; customers; suppliers and vendors; societies and communities in which we operate; trade associations; and government and regulatory agencies and investors.

Cadence 2020 CDP Climate Change Investor Response

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

102-41 Collective bargaining agreements

Employees are generally not covered by collective bargaining agreements, only as required by certain local European Country laws (such as France)

Index Only

102-42 Identifying and selecting stakeholders

ABOUT THE REPORT

102-43 Approach to stakeholder engagement

ABOUT THE REPORT

102-44 Key topics and concerns raised

Cadence stakeholders have raised several key issues that include but are not limited to: Diversity and Equal Opportunity; Non-Discrimination; Energy; Emissions; Anti-Corruption; AntiCompetitive Behavior; Data Privacy and Security; and Supply Chain management.

Index Only

102-45 Entities included in consolidated financial statements

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. and subsidiaries

Index Only

102-46 Process for defining report content and boundaries

ABOUT THE REPORT

102-47 List of material topics

Cadence's priority ESG topics include: Diversity & Equal Opportunity Occupational Health & Safety Training & Education Employee Engagement Energy Emissions Anti-Corruption Anti-Competitive Behavior Data Security Customer Privacy Supplier Environmental Assessment Supplier Social Assessment

Index Only

102-48 Restatements of information

Scope 2 market-based figures for 2019 and 2020 are updated in this report.

Index Only

102-49 Changes in reporting

No changes in reporting

Index Only

GRI & SASB General Disclosures GRI - 102 General Disclosures

Cadence 2020 Form 10-K 6-9

SUMMARY OF 2020 ACTIVITIES

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

ABOUT THE REPORT

GRI & SASB General Disclosures GRI 102: General Disclosures

102-50 Reporting period

2020 Calendar Year 102-51 Date of most recent previous report (if any)

March, 2020

Index Only

102-52 Reporting cycle

Annual

Index Only

102-53 Contact point for questions regarding the report

ABOUT THE REPORT

102-54 Claims of reporting in accordance with the GRI Standards

ABOUT THE REPORT

102-55 GRI Content Index

The GRI Content Index Table

Index Only

102-56 External Assurance

This report did not seek external assurance

Index Only

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundaries

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - Carbon Footprint and Energy Use, Emissions in the Value Chain, Water Use

34, 36, 37, 46

csr-esg@cadence.com 5

This report has been prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards: Core Option

Material Topics Economic Performance GRI 103: Management approach

SUPPLY CHAIN - Engaging with Suppliers on Sustainability

Cadence 2020 CDP Climate Change Investor Response

Please see our 2020 CDP Climate Change Investor Response, question 2.4a, for details on climate-related opportunities 103-2 The management approach and its components

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - Carbon Footprint and Energy Use, Emissions in the Value Chain, Water Use SUPPLY CHAIN - Engaging with Suppliers on Sustainability Please see our 2020 CDP Climate Change Investor Response, question 2.4a, for details on climate-related opportunities

34, 36, 37, 46 Cadence 2020 CDP Climate Change Investor Response

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - Carbon Footprint and Energy Use, Emissions in the Value Chain, Water Use

34, 36, 37, 46

Material Topics GRI 103: Management Approach

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

SUPPLY CHAIN - Engaging with Suppliers on Sustainability

Cadence 2020 CDP Climate Change Investor Response

Please see our 2020 CDP Climate Change Investor Response, question 2.4a, for details on climate-related opportunities GRI 201: Economic Performance

201-2 Financial implications and other risks and opportunities due to climate change

Please see our 2020 CDP Climate Change Investor Response, question 2.4a

34, 36, 37, 46

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundaries

GOVERNANCE - Ethical Conduct: Code of Business Conduct

38-41

103-2 The management approach and its components

GOVERNANCE - Ethical Conduct: Code of Business Conduct

38-41

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

We achieved a 100% completion rate for all our employees globally on this training in 2020

205-2 Communication and training about anti-corruption policies and procedures

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION - Training & Career Development

27, 41

Cadence 2020 CDP Climate Change Investor Response

Anti-Corruption GRI 103: Management Approach

GRI 205: Anti-Corruption

GOVERNANCE - Business Ethics: Anti-Corruption Cadence enables and requires all employees to receive training regarding ethics and anti-corruption policies and procedures on an annual basis. These policies and practices are reviewed annually and agreed upon by signature. We achieved a 100% completion rate for all our employees globally on this training in 2020.

Nasdaq G2.2

ISS 251

Total board seats occupied by independents

GOVERNANCE - Board Governance

Percentage of workforce formally certified its compliance with the Business Code of Conduct policy

100% of our employees formally certified their compliance with our Code of Business Conduct in 2020

9 of 10 of Cadence's board seats are occupied by independents as determined pursuant to the Nasdaq Stock Market’s listing standards Index Only

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundaries

GOVERNANCE - Business Ethics: Anti-Corruption

103-2 The management approach and its components

GOVERNANCE - Business Ethics: Anti-Corruption

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

GOVERNANCE - Business Ethics: Anti-Corruption

GRI 206: Anti-Competitive Behavior

Legal actions for anti-competitive behavior, anti-trust, and monopoly practices

Any material losses or legal action regarding anti-competitive behavior or violation of anti-trust and monopoly legislation required to be disclosed pursuant to the regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission would be would be reflected in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Index Only

SASB: Intellectual Property Protection & Competitive Behavior

TC-SI-520a.1 Total amount of monetary losses as a result of legal proceedings associated with anti-competitive behavior regulations

Index Only

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundaries

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - Carbon Footprint and Energy Use

34-36

103-2 The management approach and its components

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - Carbon Footprint and Energy Use

34-36

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - Carbon Footprint and Energy Use

34-36

302-1 Energy consumption within the organization

276,771 Gigajoules (GJ)

35, Index

Material Topics Anti-Competitive Behavior GRI 103: Management Approach

(Software & IT Services)

Cadence 2020 Form 10-K

Energy GRI 103: Management Approach

GRI 302: Energy

73% non-renewable energy 27% renewable energy

302-3 Energy intensity

29,912 kBTU per employee

Index Only

302-4 Reduction of energy consumption

3% from 2019 to 2020

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

276,771 Gigajoules (GJ)

Material Topics SASB: Environmental Footprint of Hardware Infrastructure

TC-SI-130a.1 (1) Total energy consumed, (2) percentage grid electricity, (3) percentage renewable

99% grid electricity 27% renewable energy

(Software & IT Services) TC-SI-130a.3 Discussion of the integration of environmental considerations into strategic planning for data center needs

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - Carbon Footprint and Energy Use

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundaries

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

32-37

103-2 The management approach and its components

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

32-37

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

32-37

305-1 Scope 1 Emissions

5,951 MT CO2e

35-36

305-2 Scope 2 Emissions (marketbased)

23,293 MT CO2e

35-36

305-2 Scope 2 Emissions (locationbased)

28,783 MT CO2e

35-36

305-3 Scope 3 Emissions

422,027 MT CO2e

36-37

305-4 Emissions Intensity

11 MT CO2e/Million USD Revenue

35, Index

Emissions GRI 103: Management Approach

GRI 305: Emissions

3MT CO2e per employee (Scope 1 + Scope 2 market based) 305-5 Reduction of GHG Emissions

11% reduction in (Scope 1+Scope2 market-based) GHG emissions in 2020 from the baseline year (2019)

34-35

305-6 Emissions of ozone-depleting substances

There are no such emissions in our operations

Index Only

305-7 Nitrogen oxides (NOX), sulfur oxides (SOX), and other significant air emissions

There are no such emissions in our operations

Index Only

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

TC-SC-110a.1 (1) Gross global Scope 1 emissions and (2)amount of total emissions from perfluorinated compounds

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - Carbon Footprint and Energy Use

33-36

TC-SC-110a.2 Discussion of long-term and short-term strategy or plan to manage Scope 1 emissions, emissions reduction targets, and an analysis of performance against those targets

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - Carbon Footprint and Energy Use

32-37

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundaries

WORKFORCE - Hiring

16-27

103-2 The management approach and its components

WORKFORCE - Hiring

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

93% of employees surveyed say that Cadence is a Great Place to Work

16-27

401-1 Total number and rate of new employee hires

WORKFORCE - Hiring

Material Topics SASB: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Semiconductors)

There are no such perfluorinated compounds in our operations.

Employment GRI 103: Management Approach

GRI 401: Employment

Boundary: Global

Total hiring: 1,398 Headcount growth over last 5 years: 32%

401-1 Total number and rate of new employee hires by gender

324 female, 1,074 male

Rate of female hiring: 23% Rate of male hiring: 77%

401-1 Total number and rate of new employee hires by career stage group

642 early career talent 306 intern talent Rate of early career talent hiring: 46% Rate of more senior hiring: 54%

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

182 female early career talent, 460 male early career talent

Index, 22

Material Topics GRI 401: Employment

401-1 Total number of new employee hires by gender and career stage group

98 female intern talent, 208 male intern talent Rate of early career and intern female talent hiring: 30% Rate of early career and intern male talent hiring: 70%

Average employee tenure

7.1 years

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundaries

WORKFORCE - Safety

103-2 The management approach and its components

WORKFORCE - Safety

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

WORKFORCE - Safety

GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety

403-9 Work related injuries

WORKFORCE - Safety

SASB: Labor Conditions

TC-ES-320a.1 Total Recordable Indicident Rate (TRIR) %

WORKFORCE - Safety

TC-SC-320a.1 Description of efforts to assess, monitor, and reduce exposure of employees to human health hazards

WORKFORCE - Safety

Occupational Health & Safety GRI 103: Management Approach

(Electronic Manufacturing Services & Original Design Manufacturing) SASB: Employee Health & Safety (Semiconductors)

Our injury rate is calculated for workers based in the United States

Injury rate: 0.2% calculated per 100 workers Lost work days: Zero 26

TRIR- 0.2%

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundaries

WORKFORCE - Training and Career Development

103-2 The management approach and its components

WORKFORCE - Training and Career Development

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

93% of employees surveyed say Cadence is a Great Place to Work

404-1 Average hours of training per year per employee

WORKFORCE - Training and Career Development

Percentage of employees to access online learning management system

80%

Percentage of US Managers who have completed Unconscious Bias training

90%

19, 21

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundaries

WORKFORCE Diversity and Inclusion Gender Representation Compensation

20-24

103-2 The management approach and its components

WORKFORCE Diversity and Inclusion Gender Representation Compensation

20-24

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

WORKFORCE Diversity and Inclusion Gender Representation Compensation

20-24

Material Topics Training and Education GRI 103: Management Approach

GRI 404: Training and Education

Average of 24 hours of training per employee 13 hours per technical staff 11 hours per non-technical staff

Diversity and Equal Opportunity GRI 103: Management approach

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

WORKFORCE - Gender Representation

22, 39

Material Topics GRI 405: Diversity and Equal Opportunity

405-1. a) Diversity of governance bodies and management positions

Diversity of governance bodies and management by gender Board of Directors: 30% female, 70% male Managers or more senior: 17% female, 83% male Diversity of governance bodies by ethnicity Board of Directors: 60% White 40% Non-white

405-1. b) Diversity by employee categories

WORKFORCE - Gender Representation

Diversity by employee category Technical Workforce: 20% Female 80% Male Non-technical Workforce: 45% Female 55% Male

405-2 Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men

LETTER FROM THE CEO

3, 7-8, 21, 24

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2020 - Workforce WORKFORCE - Diversity and Inclusion, Compensation Cadence maintained global salary pay parity for gender, and U.S. salary pay parity based on race and ethnicity again in September 2020

SASB: Recruiting & Managing a Global, Diverse & Skilled Workforce

TC-SI-330a.2 Employee engagement as a percentage

WORKFORCE - Employee Engagement

93% of our employees globally say they are proud to tell others they work at Cadence

(Software & IT Services)

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

WORKFORCE - Diversity and Inclusion

21, 39

Material Topics SASB: Recruiting & Managing a Global, Diverse & Skilled Workforce (Software & IT Services)

TC-SI-330a.3 Percentage of gender and ethnic group representation for (1) management, and (2) technical staff

Percentage of gender group representation for management Board of Directors: 30% female, 70% male Managers or more senior: 17% female, 83% male Percentage of ethnic group representation for management Board of Directors: 60% White 40% Non-white Percentage of gender group representation for technical staff: 20% Female 80% Male

Employee Engagement ISS 306 - quantitative metrics for employee engagement including a percentage value

WORKFORCE: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY Employee Engagement

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundaries

SUPPLY CHAIN - Human Rights in the Supply Chain

44-47

103-2 The management approach and its components

SUPPLY CHAIN - Human Rights in the Supply Chain

44-47

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

SUPPLY CHAIN - Human Rights in the Supply Chain

44-47

93% of employees surveyed say that Cadence is a Great Place to Work

Supply Chain GRI 103: Management Approach

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

Material Topics GRI 308: Supplier Environmental Assessment

308-1 New suppliers that were screened using environmental criteria

100%

GRI 414: Supplier Social Assessment

414-1 New suppliers that were screened using social criteria

100%

SASB: Materials Sourcing

TC-HW-440a.1 Description of the management of risks associated with the use of critical materials

SUPPLY CHAIN - Human Rights in the Supply Chain

(Hardware)

Cadence’s UK Modern Slavery Act Statement can be viewed in full on our website. It informs our management of human rights issues in the value chain.

Cadence UK Modern Slavery Act Statement Cadence Conflict Minerals Policy Statement

Additionally, we support industry efforts to source Conflict-free Minerals. Our Conflict Minerals Policy Statement sets forth our expectations for Cadence and our suppliers on this issue. Customer Privacy GRI 103: Management Approach

GRI 418: Customer Privacy

103-1 Explanation of the material topic and its boundaries

DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY

42-43

103-2 The management approach and its components

DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY

42-43

103-3 Evaluation of the management approach

DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY

42-43

418-1 Substantiated complaints concerning breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data

Any data breaches, law enforcement requests for user information, or other issues associated with data security and user privacy resulting in material monetary losses to Cadence that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to the regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission would be reflected in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Cadence 2020 Form 10-K

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

TC-SI-220a.1 Description of policies and practices relating to behavioral advertising and user privacy

DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY

42-43

TC-SI-220a.3 Total amount of monetary losses as a result of legal proceedings associated with user privacy

Cadence 2020 Form 10-K

TC-SI-220a.4 (1) Number of law enforcement requests for user information, (2) number of users whose information was requested, (3) percentage resulting in disclosure

Cadence 2020 Form 10-K

Material Topics SASB: Data Privacy & Freedom of Expression (Software & IT Services)

Cadence’s Privacy Policy explains how and when we collect personal data and the types of information the policy covers. The policy also outlines our data disclosure policy, opt out procedures, location and retention policies, user rights, and contact information for reporting questions or concerns.

Reporting Standard Disclosure Notation and Title

Disclosure Details

Page number or URL

TC-SI-230a.1 (1) Number of data breaches, (2) percentage involving personally identifiable information (PII), (3) number of users affected

Cadence 2020 Form 10-K

TC-SI-230a.2 Description of approach to identifying and addressing data security risks, including use of third-party cybersecurity standards

DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY

42-43

TC-SI-550a.2 Description of business continuity risks related to disruptions of operations

DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY

42-43

Please see our 10-K item 1a for a description of business continuity risks related to disruptions of services.

Cadence 2020 Form 10-K

Material Topics Data Security SASB: Data Security (Software & IT Services)

Cadence Privacy Policy

This document includes forward-looking statements, and actual results could differ materially. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ are set forth in the “Risk Factors” section in Cadence’s most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, including Cadence’s future filings. Cadence, the Cadence logo, and the other Cadence marks found at www.cadence.com/go/trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Arm and Neoverse are registered trademarks or trademarks of Arm Limited (or its subsidiaries) in the US and/or elsewhere. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 72

Cadence 2020 Sustainability Report

Articles inside

Awards and Recognition

Community Outreach

Supply Chain

Workforce: Shaping the Future of Technology

Innovation

Governance

COVID-19 Response and Actions

Privacy and Security: Managing Risks of Secure Data

Highlights from 2020

About the Report